Where HOPE Lives

Friday, May 7 (DAY 4 GKTW)...

Today, the second half of Julia's wish came true...to visit the animals at Sea World...

We started with the dolphin show.  These strong, graceful, intelligent creatures are a treat to watch in person.

The end of the show left us all wanting more.  So we headed to the dolphin enclosure to see them up close and personal.

The trainers called them over to the side and let the kids feed them...

They eagerly came back for more interaction.  Such playful giants! They roll right up on the side to be stroked and loved on...

Julia was in love! All the dolphins we met were so playful and spirited.  She loved their voices and smiles and their soft, smooth skin.  It left her wanting more.  It has become her newest aspiration, that when she is old enough she wants to swim the dolphins.

Next it was on to the sting rays.  Julia was a little leery of getting to close, but Carter (shockingly to us) leaned right in the tank.  He and Daddy fed them a whole bowl of fish. 

Then we stopped by the dolphin tank to watch them from underwater.  Sea World does an amazing job with these viewing walls.  As you descend into the cool, darkened room, it feels like you have entered their world.  A tranquil, quiet sea of blue...

As we watched Julia interact with them, I couldn't help but cry- she got her moment.

We also saw a waddle of penguins...

And some lively seals and sea lions, barking loudly for a snack.  They were great at catching the fish we threw to them.  By now the kids are thinking they can feed every animal in the park :)

The Clyde and Seamour show was comical as always.  The seals, sea lions, otters, and walruses are such great imitators and have impeccable timing.

Unfortunately the heat raged on and after just two hours, Julia was having a hard time.

Fortunately Sea World has water for the kids, too (not just the animals).  Some lunch, fruit, extra water, a quick dip, and popsicles she was ready to see the last show. 

It wouldn't be Sea World without the Shamu show. The shows have resumed but the trainers are no longer allowed to enter the water with the whales.    

The animals put on a great performance and we headed down to see them closer.  Julia apparently has some training abilities in her because many of the orcas we saw responded to her movements.  So precious to watch...

After Shamu, it was time to head back to the village to rest and swim.  By evening we were in the pool ourselves.  Anyone who knows Carter knows he has to reenact everything he sees.  How's this Shamu for you?... 

Julia was spinning like a dolphin.  Wish I could link the video, maybe I'll figure it out one day.

The next thing we knew, the chef and his volunteers brought dinner outside and served everyone poolside.  Such a treat! I must say they were the best ribs I have ever eaten.  When I complimented the chef and asked for his secret, he actually told me.  He said he dry rubs the ribs for two days with cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and brown sugar.  Then slow cooks them all day with barbecue sauce. Delicious!

We headed back to our house for baths before the nightly events started.  On the way back, we ran into the cookie cart.  This is one of the happiest jobs around.  They drive around the village all evening offering chocolate chip cookies and pink lemonade to everyone they meet :) In the mornings the same cart will bring continental breakfast right to your doorstep!

Friday night was the weekly Pirates & Princesses party...

Carter had fun with gnarly pirates.  This father/daughter pair were such an inspiration.  They volunteer at the village regularly and host most of the party events.  They do a wonderful job getting into character.  They have a tender heart for getting to know the families during their stay and they go out of their way to make every child there feel special.

While the boys were practicing their sword fighting, the ladies were being transformed into beautiful princesses.

Julia was eager to show her new look to the Sea World characters in attendance.

Even Mayor Clayton and Ms. Merry dress up for the event!

As she was getting her picture taken, a sweet man moved in- slowly, gently, and immediately captured Julia's attention.

She jumped right in his arms to give him a hug.  It was like she knew. 

It was Henri Landwirth himself!! He is no longer a part of the daily operations here.  He moved to Jacksonville a while back to be able to focus on his family and keep the vision and heart of GKTW alive without being completely burnt out in the process.  He comes by to visit for a few occasions now and then.  We are not sure of the reason for his visit this evening, but count it a special blessing from God and something we will treasure always.  Henri is such a humble and quiet man.  Everything he does has always been, and always will be, about the kids.  We only knew for sure it was him when an volunteer angel standing nearby leaned over to confirm or suspicions.  He was never once announced in any way.  Most families had no idea he was even there.  Those that met him did so personally.  He doesn't even wear a nametag.  We were so honored to be here tonight.

Nothing here happens because of Henri's pride or ambition.  He is a man on a divine assignment.  After surviving the brutality of the Nazi concentration camps, his faith in God and humanity spiraled into darkness.  He wrestled with good and evil, truth and lies, revenge and forgiveness; but in time, God redeemed that in a tremendous way.  GKTW became "something he just had to do".  As a child in the camps Henri witnessed grave atrocities.  When Jews were brought into the camps, the infants, disabled, and sick were all ripped from their families to be systematically tortured and murdered first.  This was only the beginning of the starvation, torture, disease, abuse, and evil he experienced.  Henri knew his life was saved for a reason and God had work for him to do.  We witnessed that firsthand tonight.

All of the children were brought up on to the stage to be announced...    

and coronated as royalty...

Then we danced to celebrate.  All the precious children in wheelchairs were put in the center so the rest of us could honor and celebrate them.  The sweet pirate dad did an incredible job, as a host, making every one of these little girls feel as beautiful as they truly are.  It was exciting to see so many families from the village present.  Though it was also heart wrenching.  Some of the children here are at the end of their life and their suffering is so evident.  Two of those precious children were at the party that night.  Their pain was palpable.  It is common at the village for children to arrive and meet the character of their dreams, only to pass away the next day.  Children have an amazing ability to live life to the very last moment and GKTW will continue to do whatever it takes to make their last days joyful memories and grant their wishes.

Sometimes though the hope present here miraculously heals.  Recently a young mother called with a daughter who had only days to live.  The arrangements were made instantly to bring the child down.  She almost died on the plane and finally made it to the village.  When she arrived, the young girl jumped out of the car and ran inside!! The doctors were immediately contacted and told the mother to let the child do what she felt able to do.  That little one lived six more happy months with her family.  Hope is very real when we believe.

We had the chance to say goodnight to Henri as we left for the evening.  I thanked him for all he has done and the inspiration he has been and then... the ugly cry.  There are no words for the way God has used this man and will continue to long after he has gone home himself.  Henri you are dearly loved. 

I love this quote he uses...

I urge everyone to read his book.  You will not be able to put it down and it will change you forever.

Time to put this little princess to bed...

The Mouse Himself

Thursday, May 6 (DAY 3 GKTW)...

On Thursday morning, the kids woke up to quite a treat.  Twice a week the Disney characters visit the GKTW village.  They want to be able to give each family personal attention, spend time playing with the kids, and visit those who cannot come to the parks.  It is a magical experience.  The first we encountered was Pluto.  As an animal lover (who spends much of her time pretending to be a dog herself), Julia ran right into Pluto's outstretched paws... 

Then we headed inside Julie's Theater to visit the Big Mouse and his lady.  The kids faces just glowed.  Their eyes were like saucers.

Mickey and Minnie were so sweet and playful.  It was really touching to see the time they gave to every family there.  Even the parents are made to feel special with hugs and kisses.  On the way out we goofed around with Goofy himself...

It was a great start to our day the Magic Kingdom. 

We started the day in Fantasyland.  Julia was drawn to the horses, of course, and took a spin on Cinderella's Golden Carousel...

I'm honestly starting to believe this child could live on a merry go round :)  To continue the spinning, we headed to the teacups.  Both the kids loved it.

Though her face told a different story.

We had a really tough time keeping Julia hydrated on the trip.  Despite the buckets of water she drinks and lots of slushies and fruit pops, we couldn't seem to stay on top of it.  We either carried her or pushed her in the jogger the entire week to make things as easy as possible, but she still struggled.  We are not quite sure if this is part of her healing, a side effect, an issue with only having one kidney, or just the weather conditions.  Definitely something we need to work on before summer arrives.

Next we went to Toontown to tour Minnie and Mickey's houses.  Such a cute house!

Carter was ready for some more action, so we took a spin on the Tomorrowland Speedway.  Julia was happy to ride...

...but Carter quickly left us in his dust.  He loves being tall enough to drive now.

After lunch we tried out the Buzz Lightyear ride.  It is similar to the Toy Story attraction at Hollywood Studios, only it takes place in space, uses lots of neon, and the shooters are lasers that are near impossible to aim.  We definitely liked the other version better.

Before heading out we rode Dumbo, Peter Pan, Many Adventures of Pooh, and It's A Small World.  Had we not been able to skip the lines this definitely would not have been possible.  The crowds and MK are so much larger and the park space is more limited.  I can't imagine what it's like in the summer when the big crowds arrive!

On the way out we came upon the afternoon parade.  The theme this year is Celebrate.  It was a very upbeat and exciting parade.  The kids loved seeing their favorite characters again.  The theme song kept asking, "What did you come to celebrate?" Oh, so much! Six months cancer-free and the tremendous blessings of being together as a family.  We have so much to celebrate!

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After some rest and dinner, we took Julia to the Castle of Miracles to make her star.  Every wish child is given a star to write their names on. 

Here is he one Julia made...

Then they place the star into a box and close the lid.

The Starfairy then comes to take their star.  She jumps from screen to screen in the castle and the kids can watch her light trail as she travels the vines along the walls.

The Starfairy will place her star on the ceiling.  The next day Julia received her Star Passport with the exact location of her star among the thousands above us.

On the day we left, she was presented with another star to take home with us.

It now (jump to the present time) resides on the ceiling above her bed...

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Every night at GKTW has some sort of nightly party.  Every Thursday it is Christmas.  The village is completely decorated to get in the spirit.  They have visits with Santa in the theater, complete with a toy workshop.  There's a parade through the center street...

cookies to decorate...

and Julia's favorite, a horse-drawn carriage ride...

It was a night full of great memories.  Carter and Daddy went back early so Carter could get to bed.  Julia and I enjoyed some girl time to ourselves...

which of course included a dozen spins on the carousel.  This was her favorite horse, "Goldie"...

The longer we are here the more special this place becomes.  Spending time getting to know the other families and volunteer angels.  Everyone has such unique lives and stories to share. Each one now a part of us.

Many people are wondering how exactly the Make A Wish process works. MAW serves children (2.5-18yrs) with diagnosed life-threatening conditions (progressive, degenerative, or malignant).  Referrals can be made by medical professionals, parents or wish children themselves.  The child can wish to go..., be..., meet..., or have... A pair of MAW volunteers visit the family to get to know the children and to find out about their wish.  Only one wish can be granted (by any organization) in each child's lifetime.  (The same is true of Give Kids the World.) Wishes are granted by the local MAW chapters in cooperation with the child's medical team and in a time frame that works best for the family.  In emergency situations wishes can be granted in a matter of days.  In other situations (like ours), the decision is made to complete treatment first.  Though MAW is the largest, most well-known wish-granting organization, there are hundreds of others unique to each geographical area.  To find one near you, look up "wish organization" in the yellow pages.

Horses, Disney Rides, Parades, Shows, Swimming, and Ice Cream....oh my!

Wednesday, May 5 (DAY 2 GKTW)...

Our house was right across the street from Keaton's Korral (and in our backyard was Matthew's Boundless Playground!).

You may have noticed all the venues at Give Kids the World are named after children.  This is also true of the street names.  Henri Landwirth decided early on that logos, advertising, and company recognition would not be a part of the work done here.  There is a sign on the wall in the main building with the primary donors listed, but that is all.  He wants people to give from the heart and God's leading, never for recognition or personal profit.  All the names used in the village honor children who have passed away and will always have a special place here.  Their short lives mattered.  As Henri says, "It is the children that most deserve our admiration, our respect, and our hard work."

Twice a week horses and ponies visit the village to do horseback and carriage rides.  The kids were so excited to see the horses and Carter was ready to give riding a try. He was so proud of himself at the end...

All the kids are then presented with a certificate and cowboy hat after their ride...

Julia decided to just hang out in Peyton's Pony Corral and watch this time.  The ponies were so sweet.  They are all rescued from abusive homes and are now being reacclimated to be petting animals.

After breakfast we were ready to start the day.  The local attractions in Orlando have long been supporters of Give Kids the World.  Disney and Sea World were both founding members of the organization.  Every family that arrives at GKTW, regardless of their child's wish is given 3-day Disney passes, 2-day Universal passes, and a day at Sea World (and free parking).  For the children with disabilities and limitations there are often unique transportation needs.  Very early in the founding of GKTW, MEARS transportation agreed to offer all necessary assistance for these families.  They find ways, whatever it may take, to make it work and give them the door to door service they need.  Dozens of other tickets are available as requested by the wish child.  This was a complete surprise to us.

We decided to spend our first day out at Disney Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM).

Our first ride was the new park favorite- Toy Story Mania.  You walk through the doors and instantly become a toy in Andy's room- so cute! 

Another amazing gift by Disney is special passes for all the GKTW children.  We were given tags to where that allowed us to enter the Fastpass lane of any ride or show.  They want them to experience as much as possible without any added stresses. 

 

This in itself is an absolute treasure! The wait times at Disney start at 70min and often Fastpasses are gone for the day within the first few hours the park is open.  We reminded the kids what a special treat this was for GKTW children.  Julia thought for a moment and said, "I get to go in the short line because I was so brave for all my chemo."  Such a wise soul :)

The ride was incredible.  They really did a great job with this one.  You ride in cars with little pull string blasters.  You wear 3D glasses and the ride takes you to a series of computer screens with different midway games (water balloons, ring toss, hit the plates, etc.)  All the games are fully computer animated.  The cool part is the game is designed to adjust to the skill level of every player so you are actually competing against your younger children at an equal level.

We all had a blast and squealed and cheered through the whole game.  The amazing part? We were able to go back through the line and ride it 5 times in a row!! Once in a lifetime memories!

We then headed over to see the Playhouse Disney show.  These are really the only Disney characters our kids know (aside from Cars).

The show was adorable.  It was completely interactive and included all the kids favorite shows...

We were all singing and dancing along in no time! It's always funny to me how well the parents know the words even though most of us only hear it in the background at home  :)

I have to admit I got teary when the Little Einsteins' theme song started.  This was Julia's primary coping mechanism and pain relief this past year.  We watched their DVDs in the PICU, in the car for every drive to the hospital, during hospital stays, and in the middle of the night when the pain kept her awake.  As soon as I hear he music I feel such a flood of emotions and memories, but also tremendous gratitude for the comfort it brought to Julia.  Being there was such a full circle moment for us.  God has brought her so far in just a year's time.

 
We headed over to the Toy Story Pizza Planet for some yummy lunch.  I have to say the Disney parks do a great job with food in all their parks.  The Pizza Planet salads included fresh herbs, mozzarella balls, peas, cantaloupe- such variety, yum!

After lunch the kids met two favorites... Lightning and Mater! 

Disney also gives every wish family a Photopass which electronically gathers all the photos taken in all of their parks.  They then send us a free CD with all our pictures.  Such a perfect gift! Thank you Disney for the priceless memories!

By now the heat was really setting in.  It turned out to be an abnormally hot week in Florida.  The temps were in the upper 90s- hazy, hot, and humid every day.  We limited our time at the parks to a few hours each day and had lots of cool refreshments.  Julia was intrigued by the Muppets' fountain.  We spent a long time just hanging out with our toes in the water, something I will remember always :)

Later, while Julia and I checked out the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground...

Daddy took Carter to see the Light, Motor, Action Extreme Stunt Show...

Carter was in complete awe.  They showed how movie stunts are shot and staged complete with jumps, chases, tricks, fire, and explosions.  It was a little boy's (and big boy's!) playground :)  As soon as he came out, Carter launched into a complete recap.  He talked about it almost nonstop for the next 48hrs!

After one more spin on the Toy Story ride, we stopped to see the Pixar Block Party parade on the way out.  The kids had no idea what to expect and it was tough to explain, so we just waited to let them see for themselves.  As soon as the first float appeared they were on the edge of their seats.

The party music started and the Toy Story soldier voices came across the speakers.  Turns out they run this block party.

 With the first, "Calling all you recruits out there!", Carter was completely hooked and took it very seriously.  When they told him to get up and dance, well you better believe it he did...

Gotta love this kid!

By now we were all ready to head "home" to rest and cool off in the pool.  They've done such a beautiful job with the pool and the new splash bad and beach hut...

The pools and parties were a great place to get to know some of the other families in the village.  At any given time there are 150-200 families being hosted (some are housed at nearby hotels due to space limitations on site).  It is truly an international community.  In just the first two days we met Scots, Aussies, Brits, Mexicans, Dutch, and Canadians! During their stay the village flies the national flags of all the countries represented to make them feel welcome.  GKTW works very hard to bridge any language barriers.  The families that do not speak English are offered translators for the duration of their stay, courtesy of Epcot- amazing.

GKTW has quickly discovered that nationality and language are not stumbling blocks, only unique differences between us.  Love and joy are universal languages that need no translating.  A smile is always a smile.  Henri shares this story...

"In no instance was this more clearly demonstrated than the day an Israeli and Palestinian family arrived together.  A hospice from each country had contacted the village to bring in two families simultaneously... The families arrived together and the first day stayed pretty much to themselves.  The next day they began spending time together.  By the time their vacation was over they had become best friends.  Hate was transformed into love.  Their children suffered the same.  They cried the same and fought the same enemy of disease... Through them a cultural divide dating back centuries, began to narrow."

God was using a devastatingly hard situation to transform individual hearts, thousands of miles from their homes.  We can only imagine the ripple effects of this friendship formed in suffering.  We will never understand the ways God works and the complexities of His plan, but we can fully trust that He works ALL things together for His glory and good.  This place is truly hallowed ground. 

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After grabbing some dinner, we all took baths and got in our jammies.  The best part? Heading to the Ice Cream Palace for some dessert before bed!

This place is every kid's dream.  Another neat feature... all the tables and chairs are child size.  Adults still fit comfortably, but at GKTW kids come first.

Sweet dreams everyone!